Heat sink

ABSTRACT

A heat sink includes a plurality of metal plate members fastened together in a stack. Each metal plate member includes a main body, a first sidewall extending from a first side of the main body and having a through hole, a second sidewall extending from a second side of the main body, a retaining lug extending from the first sidewall and having a retaining hole, and a protrusion suspended in the through hole such that the retaining lug of one metal plate member is insertable into the through hole of another metal plate member, and the protrusion of one metal plate member is engageable into the retaining hole of the retaining lug of another metal plate member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a heat sink for dissipating heat from aheat source and more particularly, to such a heat sink, which has atight structure and is easy to install.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 5 shows a heat sink according to the prior art. According to thisdesign, the heat sink 1 is formed of a plurality of metal plate members2 connected in a stack. Each metal plate member 2 has a plurality ofmounting lugs 3 and a plurality of mounting through holes 4corresponding to the mounting lugs 3. Each mounting lug 3 has a base 5and two upright arms 6 at two sides of the base 5. During installation,the metal plate members 2 are fastened together by inserting themounting lugs 3 of one metal plate member 2 into the mounting throughholes 4 of another metal plate member 2 and then hammering down theupright arms 6 of each mounting lug 3. This structure of heat sink 1 isstrong, however its complicated installation procedure requires muchtime and labor, resulting in a high manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances inview. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a heatsink, which has a tight structure and is easy to install.

To achieve this object of the present invention, the heat sink comprisesa plurality of metal plate members fastened together in a stack. Eachmetal plate member comprises a main body, a first sidewall extendingfrom a first side of the main body and having a through hole, a secondsidewall extending from a second side of the main body, a retaining lugextending from the first sidewall and having a retaining hole, and aprotrusion suspended in the through hole such that the retaining lug ofone metal plate member is insertable into the through hole of anothermetal plate member, and the protrusion of one metal plate member isengageable into the retaining hole of the retaining lug of another metalplate member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a heat sink according to a first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of a metal plate member for theheat sink according to the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic assembly view of the first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarge view of a part of a heat sink according to a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a heat sink according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a heat sink 10 in accordance with the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention is shown comprised of aplurality of metal plate members 20 connected in a stack. Each metalplate member 20 comprises a flat rectangular main body 22, a firstsidewall 30 perpendicularly extending from one lateral side of the mainbody 22, and a second sidewall 40 perpendicularly extending from theother lateral side of the main body 22. The metal plate members 20 aremade of heat conducting material, for example, copper or aluminum.

Two semicircle-shaped retaining lugs 32 are bilaterally downwardlyextending from the first sidewall 30, each having a retaining hole 33.The first sidewall 30 has four bottom notches 34 respectively disposedat two opposite lateral sides of each of the retaining lugs 32. Thefirst sidewall further has two through holes 35, which are U-shapedslots disposed adjacent to the main body 22 and respectively spacedabove the retaining lugs 32.

The second sidewall 40 has two retaining lugs 42 and two through holes45 corresponding to the retaining lugs 32 and through holes 35 of thefirst sidewall 30. The retaining lugs 42 each have a retaining hole 43.Four bottom notches 44 are respectively disposed at two sides of each ofthe retaining lugs 32.

Further, the main body 22 has four protrusions 36, 46, which suspendrespectively in the through holes 35, 45 of the sidewalls 30, 40.

Referring to FIG. 3, the retaining lugs 32 of the metal plate members 20define with the respective first sidewall 30 a contained angle α, forexample, 20°. The retaining lugs 42 of the metal plate members 20 definewith the respective second sidewall 40 same contained angle α.Therefore, when attaching one metal plate member 20 to another, theretaining lugs 32, 42 do not interfere with the correspondingprotrusions 36, 46. Therefore, the metal plate members 20 can beaccurately aligned. The retaining lugs 32, 42 are respectively fittedinto the through holes 35, 45 to force the respective retaining holes33, 43 into engagement with the respective protrusions 36, 46. Becauseof the design of the bottom notches 34, 44, the retaining lugs 32, 42are easily deformable for quick installation. Therefore, the metal platemembers 20 can conveniently fastened together in a stack to form thedesired heat sink 10. When assembled, the whole structure is strong andsteady.

The present invention may be variously embodied. In the aforesaidembodiment, the first sidewall and the second sidewall are provided attwo opposite lateral sides of the main body. Alternatively, the firstsidewall and the second sidewall can be provided at two adjacent sidesof the main body. Further, the retaining lugs, the through holes, theretaining holes, or the protrusions may be variously shaped. The numberor locations of the retaining lugs may be changed to fit differentrequirements.

FIG. 5 shows a heat sink 50 according to the second preferred embodimentof the present invention. According to this embodiment, the retaininghole 54 of each retaining lug 52 has a semicircular shape for receivingthe respective protrusion 56.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described indetail for purposes of illustration, various modifications andenhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, the first sidewall and the second sidewallmay be respectively perpendicularly extending from two adjacent sides ofthe body. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as bythe appended claims

1. A heat sink comprising a plurality of metal plate members fastenedtogether in a stack, each said metal plate member comprising a mainbody, a first sidewall extending from a first side of said main body andhaving a through hole, a second sidewall extending from a second side ofsaid main body, a retaining lug extending from said first sidewall andhaving a retaining hole, and a protrusion suspended in said through holesuch that the retaining lug of one said metal plate member is insertableinto the through hole of another said metal plate member and theprotrusion of one said metal plate member is engageable into theretaining hole of the retaining lug of another said metal plate member.2. The heat sink as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said metal platemember further comprises two bottom notches respectively disposed at twosides of said retaining lug.
 3. The heat sink as claimed in claim 1,wherein said retaining lug has a semicircular shape.
 4. The heat sink asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said protrusion has a rectangular shape. 5.The heat sink as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining hole has arectangular shape.
 6. The heat sink as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidretaining hole has a semicircular shape.